The Nolans

David Nolan (29), a father of five, was jailed for 4 years by Judge Carroll Moran on 4 June after pleading guilty to threatening to kill a woman in Southill back in October 2006. Nolan arrived at the woman’s house at Maigue Way, waving a samurai sword telling her "I'll kill you and I'll kill your son", and, furthermore, kill her other son "Michael Campbell Mc style in a field".  Nolan broke the woman’s front window with his sword. A month after this, the O’Donoghue’s house was burnt out, though it was not suggested Nolan was involved.

Nolan also pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of heroin for sale or supply at a house in Ardbracken, Kilteragh, at 10pm on January 16, 2009. He was found with 40 small bags of heroin in his pocket, claiming he had to deal drug because of his escalating debts.

Nolan was confident of a custodial sentence from the Judge, and arrived in court with his bags packed. He was sentenced to 4 years for the heroin possession and a concurrent 3 years for threatening to kill.

David Nolan has 3 previous convictions for dealing heroin. He was caught red handed in a car on Hartstonge Street with €400 worth of heroin in February 2007. He was also found to be driving under the influence of cannabis and cocaine on that occasion.  In October 2007, Nolan was caught again, with €500 worth of heroin in a house at Lawn Way, Carew Park. Nolan was also up on charges of assaulting a woman, Linda Casey, outside her home in O’Malley Park, Southill in August 2007, but she developed amnesia in the stand during the trial in December 2007and that charge was struck out. Nolan, with 33 previous convictions, was sentenced to 8 months imprisonment.

Seven months later, Linda Casey herself was arrested in a downstairs bedroom of a house in Brú Na Gruadáin, Castletroy where she was busy bagging some €1,500 worth of heroin. Ms. Casey (43), with 58 previous convictions, was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment by Judge Tom O’Donnell.

David Nolan’s 2006 threat to Ms. O’Donoghue’s son, that he would killer her son "Michael Campbell Mc style in a field" had particular resonance as his relative, Andrew Nolan, is still the only person convicted in relation to the 2003 murder of Michael Campbell McNamara.

Andrew Nolan (29), originally charged with withholding information, later pleaded guilty in court to “engaging in conduct causing a substantial risk of death or serious harm”. He admitted his role in luring Michael Campbell McNamara to Southill to his death back in October 2003, telling the victim he had a sawn-off shotgun for sale.

Andrew Nolan

Campbell McNamara's body was later found in Barry’s Field with his hands and feet bound. He had been stabbed ten times and shot twice. His car had been seen near the Nolan’s home on Ashe Avenue, Carew Park, and was later found burnt out in Fedamore, County Limerick.


Andrew Nolan, a former baker and a father of 3, had 27 prior convictions. His early guilty plea was taken into account and Judge Carroll Moran sentenced him to four years in prison at Limerick Circuit Court.

Another relative, also David Nolan (45), and at the same Carew Park address as Andrew, was convicted in 2007 for possession of a 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistol and ammunition for two other pistols at a house in Star Court, Carew Park. Gardaí found a handgun in a rubbish bag and ammunition in the hot press when they searched the house, in November 2005. This David Nolan was sentenced to 2 years by Judge Moran.